British Masters National Track Championships 2017

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Yosser
Posts: 327
Joined: 13 Jul 2009 13:33
Real Name: Dave Hughes

British Masters National Track Championships 2017

Post by Yosser » 03 Jul 2017 00:15

View from the old guy- British Masters National Track Championships 2017

So this has been a full on 4 days of high level (aged) track racing at the Welsh National track Velodrome in Newport. I really didn’t know what to expect. My hope was to get on the podium at least once, get the obligatory picture trying to look nonchalant and do the fb postie thing. All the while being casual to the point of indifferent. You know the routine, “if I’d have know how close to winning I would be, I wish I’d taken it seriously now, I’ve hardly been training you know, it must be just my natural ability, etc., etc.

As it happened it was so much more and I am more than a little overwhelmed. I am sure that the Derby LVRC TL crew will tell you it took me some time to find my feet. I have already said words of gratitude to a lot of people who encouraged me to enter this, and I have a few more to thank in the coming weeks. I really didn’t think it would be worth my while. In the final analysis, things were a little overwhelming, but in a very good way.

Day 1 Thursday 29th June
The first day I performed poorly in the 500m TT, coming 4th but with a poor time. Catching my opponent in just over 1 lap was not helpful, I genuinely came upon in him very unexpectedly and thought it was someone who had got on the track to warm up in the middle of a race!

Day 2 Friday 30th June
The next day was the sprint day. The arena wash awash with massively muscled specimens and the reek of testosterone. In my age group I was fastest qualifier, with a time of 12.507s, and was very pleased with that. I battled through the next round and the semi-final. In the three up final I challenged for the lead at 200m to go, attempting to pass Steve Davis but found that I had little to offer and faded so badly in the finishing straight that I was then passed by Paul Humphries. Still I had my podium minimum that I had set as my championship target. But somehow it now seemed like failure. I now realised that I had REALLY wanted that gold. I felt bizarrely low that evening despite being a national bronze medallist.

Day 3 Saturday 1st July
Am was the pursuit, pm the scratch race. I had entered both but was still in a low mood. I decided to miss the pursuit. I had done very modestly in two of what I was convinced were my best events. I really didn’t want to get hammered in the pursuit and drive confidence lower. Anne and I visited an old friend who was in Newport Hospital. She was a vibrant and dynamically athletic 40 yo until she suffered a stroke leaving her in very poor health for almost a year. Now SHE had a good reason to be low, I certainly didn’t, and she was being more positive than me!
The scratch race was two age cats combined. Us “mature” 65yo’s were in with the comparatively “spring chickens” 60 – 64 cat. Now in a much more determined frame of mind, I managed to keep out of trouble, stay near the sharp end but not on it too much, and most importantly, be there when it all kicked off. I felt strong and blasted the last lap as hard as possible. I passed most of the bunch on the outside and found myself tucked in behind the two who were battling it out for the win. I am not sure if I could have got round either of them with 100m to go but as neither were my age cat I sat on them to the line, terrified that too adventurous a move might cost me my age cat first place. What an amazing feeling. So many good riders there, so many moments where win and lose were in the balance. There is always so much luck as well as ability in such a race.
The meal that night was poor really, and I didn’t care a jot!

Day 4, Sunday 2nd July
BC rules for this event have fallen into line with the UCI, which rules not state double points for the last lap. My ears pick up, double points eh. (Yes, of course everyone else would be targeting that last lap). As in the previous race, we had the 60yo “youngsters” in our race. (True, they had the opinion that we were in their race and messing it up). As a rider It’s hard enough to keep tabs on who is winning a points race at the best of times. But when there are two races running together … The points race is often faster than a scratch race. There are constant sprints, obviously, and numerous attacks. I failed to register on the first two sprints and by the time I got my mojo working a break had gone, with one of my H cat riders in it. I hadn’t even seen him go. The break proceeded to mop up the intermediate sprint points, greedy buggers, so I sat and waited for the last lap. (Along with everyone else). Because the break had caught us, the bunch were now classified as being all together again. At two laps to go, I was about to launch myself when Chris Davis, who had already been on the front for over a lap put in an almighty effort and strung out the bunch. I drove hard, caught his wheel and managed to pass him in the finish straight just getting the verdict on the line. Those points earned me the silver medal. The pace had been savage and only 5 of my age group had finished in the pack. What an end to the meeting.

So I finished with a complete set of National medals, podiumed three times in one meeting and now officially a National Champion. I’m also now officially knackered but very happy. Tomorrow I will be delighted but for now I’m going to go to bed.

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Philip Whiteman
Posts: 2045
Joined: 19 Nov 2006 16:17
Real Name:
Location: Drayton, Worcestershire

Re: British Masters National Track Championships 2017

Post by Philip Whiteman » 03 Jul 2017 09:44

Thanks Dave, you're a star.

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petemarshall
Posts: 663
Joined: 17 Jan 2014 16:40
Real Name: Pete Marshall
Location: Stourbridge

Re: British Masters National Track Championships 2017

Post by petemarshall » 03 Jul 2017 11:59

Hopefully see you Friday Dave. Just want an opportunity to ride next to someone in a champions jersey (even if it's for a second before you accelerate away ) and there is usually a scratch race.😊

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